Taste of Work — Part 4: The Manager Who Brings Out the Best in You

Think about the best manager you've ever had.

What made them good?

Was it that they knew everything?

Were they the most intelligent person in the room?

Did they have all the answers?

Perhaps.

But I suspect it was something else.

Maybe you felt comfortable talking to them.

Maybe they trusted you.

Maybe they listened.

Maybe they noticed when something wasn't quite right.

Maybe they gave you opportunities without making you feel like you had to prove yourself every day.

Maybe they challenged you, but you never felt afraid of them.

And perhaps most importantly:

They made you feel that you were capable of more than you thought.

That's a powerful thing for a manager to do.

Being good at the job isn't the same as being good at managing people

This seems obvious, but organisations get it wrong all the time.

Someone is excellent at their job.

They get promoted.

Suddenly, they're responsible for other people.

But nobody taught them how to manage people.

So they do what seems natural.

They tell people what to do.

They monitor them.

They correct them.

They measure them.

They expect them to work the way they did.

And before long, someone who was an excellent employee has become a manager who makes everyone miserable.

Being good at something doesn't automatically make you good at managing people.

People are not spreadsheets.

They have personalities.

They have insecurities.

They have families.

They have good days and bad days.

They respond differently to pressure.

What motivates one person might discourage another.

A good manager understands this.

People don't need another boss

Most adults already know what they're supposed to do.

They don't need someone standing over them every minute.

They need clarity.

They need resources.

They need support.

They need feedback.

And, quite often, they need someone who trusts them enough to get on with it.

There's a big difference between managing someone's work and managing someone's every movement.

A manager might say:

"Here's what we need to achieve. Let me know what you need from me."

Or they might say:

"Why haven't you done this yet? Why did you do it that way? What are you doing now? When will it be finished?"

Both managers might ultimately get the same task completed.

But the experience of working for them is completely different.

One creates ownership.

The other creates anxiety.

Good managers create confidence

Confidence at work isn't always something you bring with you.

Sometimes it's something your environment gives you.

Imagine starting a new job.

You don't know anyone.

You don't know the systems.

You're worried about making a good impression.

Every decision feels like a test.

Now imagine your manager says:

"Don't worry about knowing everything yet. Ask questions. You're here to learn."

That's a small sentence.

But it can completely change how you approach the job.

You stop worrying about pretending you know everything.

You start learning.

And when you make your first mistake, your manager doesn't make you feel stupid.

They help you understand what happened.

Your confidence grows.

Eventually, you no longer need as much support.

That's good management.

The manager hasn't simply completed tasks.

They've helped another person become more capable.

The best managers don't need to be the smartest person in the room

There is a strange insecurity that can sometimes appear in management.

A manager feels they need to have all the answers.

So when someone on their team has a better idea, they feel threatened.

When someone knows more about a particular subject, they feel challenged.

When someone succeeds, they worry that the employee is becoming more valuable than them.

A confident manager sees it differently.

If someone on your team is better than you at something, that's a good thing.

You don't need to be the best person at everything.

Your job is to build a team where the team is better because everyone brings something different.

The best managers aren't afraid of talented people.

They collect them.

Give people responsibility

One of the most rewarding things you can give another person is ownership.

Instead of:

"Do these five things exactly this way."

Try:

"Here's the problem. Here's what we're trying to achieve. What do you think we should do?"

That simple change gives someone a different relationship with their work.

They're no longer just completing instructions.

They're solving a problem.

They're thinking.

They're making decisions.

They're taking ownership.

And when it works, they get to feel:

I did that.

That's how people grow.

But responsibility needs support

There is a difference between giving someone ownership and throwing them into the deep end.

Good managers don't say:

"It's your problem now."

They say:

"It's yours to lead, and I'm here if you need me."

That distinction matters.

People need enough freedom to learn, but enough support to know they aren't alone.

A good manager knows when to step in.

And perhaps more importantly, they know when not to.

Sometimes the best management is simply getting out of someone's way.

Give feedback without destroying confidence

Feedback is necessary.

Nobody gets better by being told they're perfect.

But feedback is one of those things that can either build someone up or slowly break them down.

Compare:

"You always get this wrong."

with:

"This part didn't work. Let's look at why and see how we can improve it next time."

The first attacks the person.

The second addresses the problem.

One creates defensiveness.

The other creates learning.

Good managers understand that the purpose of feedback isn't to prove that they're right.

It's to help the other person get better.

Give credit

This sounds simple.

It isn't always.

When something goes well, who gets the credit?

Does the manager present the success as their own?

Or do they say:

"Sarah did an excellent job on this."

A manager who gives credit doesn't become less important.

They become more respected.

People remember the manager who recognised their contribution.

And people are much more likely to go the extra mile for someone who appreciates their effort.

Recognition doesn't have to mean a bonus.

Sometimes it's simply:

"You did a great job."

Those four words can mean more than managers realise.

Admit when you're wrong

Perhaps one of the most powerful things a manager can say is:

"I got that wrong."

It doesn't weaken their authority.

It strengthens it.

When a manager admits mistakes, they show the team that mistakes are part of being human.

It also makes it easier for everyone else to be honest.

If the boss can admit they're wrong, perhaps I can too.

That's how trust develops.

A manager who never admits mistakes creates a culture where everyone else learns to hide theirs.

Listen properly

Listening isn't simply waiting for someone to stop talking.

Good managers pay attention.

They notice patterns.

If someone who is normally enthusiastic suddenly becomes quiet, they notice.

If someone's performance changes, they ask why.

If someone keeps raising the same problem, they don't simply tell them to stop complaining.

They investigate.

Sometimes the employee has a genuine problem.

Sometimes they need help.

Sometimes the process is broken.

Sometimes the manager is the problem.

And sometimes the employee simply needs someone to listen.

You don't always have to fix everything.

Sometimes being heard is enough to make someone feel valued.

Don't manage everyone the same way

People are different.

One person might want lots of feedback.

Another might prefer independence.

One person might enjoy being challenged publicly.

Another might find it uncomfortable.

One person might be motivated by responsibility.

Another might value stability.

Good management isn't treating everyone identically.

It's treating people fairly while understanding that they are different.

Fairness doesn't always mean everyone gets exactly the same thing.

It means people get what they need to do their best work.

Protect your team

A good manager doesn't simply pass pressure downwards.

Sometimes their job is to absorb some of it.

Senior leadership wants something immediately.

The team already has three priorities.

A good manager might say:

"We can do this, but something else needs to move."

That's leadership.

A poor manager simply forwards the pressure:

"This needs to be done by tomorrow."

And then wonders why everyone is stressed.

Good managers understand that part of their role is creating enough space for their team to perform.

They don't eliminate pressure.

They manage it.

People remember how you made them feel

Years after leaving a job, you might forget the targets you were given.

You might forget the projects.

You might forget the meetings.

But you'll probably remember certain managers.

The one who believed in you.

The one who gave you your first real opportunity.

The one who helped you when you were struggling.

And unfortunately, you'll probably remember the opposite too.

The manager who made you afraid.

The manager who embarrassed you.

The manager who took credit.

The manager who made you question yourself.

Managers have more influence than they sometimes realise.

A manager might think they're simply managing performance.

But they're also affecting someone's confidence.

Someone's motivation.

Someone's mental wellbeing.

Sometimes even how that person sees themselves.

That's a responsibility worth taking seriously.

You don't need to be perfect

Good managers aren't perfect.

They'll lose their patience sometimes.

They'll make bad decisions.

They'll misunderstand situations.

They'll get things wrong.

The difference is what happens afterwards.

Do they reflect?

Do they apologise?

Do they learn?

Do they change?

Nobody expects a manager to be perfect.

People simply want to know that the person managing them is human.

And what about you?

Perhaps you're reading this as an employee.

Think about the managers you've had.

Which ones brought out the best in you?

What did they do differently?

Did they trust you?

Did they listen?

Did they give you room?

Did they make it safe to make mistakes?

Did they recognise your work?

And then ask yourself another question:

What kind of manager would you be?

You don't need to manage people today for that question to matter.

Perhaps one day you will.

And if you do, remember what it felt like to be on the other side.

Remember the manager who made you feel ten feet tall.

And remember the one who made you shrink into yourself.

The real job of a manager

Maybe the job of a manager isn't to get people to work harder.

Maybe it's to create the conditions where people want to do their best work.

Give them clarity.

Give them trust.

Give them responsibility.

Give them feedback.

Give them support.

Give them credit.

Give them room to grow.

And when they make a mistake, help them learn rather than making them afraid to try again.

Because people are capable of extraordinary things when they believe in themselves.

Sometimes they just need someone in their corner.

A good manager doesn't make people feel small so they can feel important.

A good manager makes other people feel capable.

And perhaps that is the greatest measure of leadership:

Not how many people work for you.

Not how important your title sounds.

But how much better people become because they worked with you.

That's the kind of manager worth remembering.